Review Policy

UPDATE (MARCH, 2015): Please note that we are not accepting any books for review nor for promotion until later in MARCH, 2015. Check back to see updates to our Review Policy and promotion services.

Children’s Book Reviews

At this time, we are interested in reading and reviewing books appropriate for my two children. I have a son who is 7 years old and a daughter who is 11 years old. Please consider carefully whether my children fall within your intended target audience. I will do an initial screening of all books to determine if they are appropriate for at least one of my children. I will then share information about the books with my children who will have the final say about whether they wish to read and review them.

DO NOT SEND ME YOUNG ADULT BOOKS! These are not the same as middle grade books and I will no longer be accepting them.

My children will only be allowed to complete one review per week each maximum. I’m sure you can appreciate that they have busy lives and that I don’t want them to think of our website as a burden. This is supposed to be fun for them! Also, please understand that sometimes they want to read things that their friends are reading and/or they don’t want to review some books. Shortly after we started this website, we were receiving up to 25 requests per week! We will only be reviewing 2 per week max – you do the math! In some cases, I will be doing a review without either of my children. I make those decisions based on how busy my kids are.

Feeling Unsure About Your Book?

Approximately 1/4 of the books we receive for review are not actually ready to be publicly reviewed. I find myself giving the same feedback to these authors: “Have you sent this book to an objective beta reader for feedback?” This is a CRITICAL step in the process of publishing and marketing a book. If you have not received many reviews of your book outside of family and friends, and you are not sure if we will review your book favorably, we are now providing an alternative, Thelma and Louise Beta Reading Services.

In this case, both Thelma and Louise will read your book and provide you with critical feedback regarding the plot, the characters, the writing, and other ways to improve your book.

More Info

We will accept review requests from publishers and authors of children’s books in exchange for an honest and respectful review. Please remember that this is a family/child-friendly site, so we wish to maintain a respectful dialogue about any books discussed on this site.

A few things publishers, publicists, and authors should know before contacting us:

We do not guarantee a review of your book. By contacting us, we are agreeing to consider it for review by either ourselves or one of our regular contributors.

We will not post negative reviews as we feel that not all books are liked by everybody. Just because we don’t like a book, doesn’t mean someone else won’t. If we choose not to review your book, we will share with you the problems we had with it.

For books of our own choosing, our reviews represent our opinions, so we WILL share negative and positive reviews of books we choose from the library or a book store.

We have a lengthy backlog of books that we are still working through. We cannot guarantee a review within a specific time frame. There is a many-months (5 to 6) delay in reviews at this time.

We will accept print and e-book copies of books, but we much, much prefer print copies as it is becoming evident that my children prefer to handle books and flip through the pages! It also makes reviewing WAY easier.

PLEASE NOTE: ** We are no longer accepting books written by child authors. I do not want to be put in the uncomfortable position of telling a child that their work is not up to snuff.**

Disclosure

All the books reviewed on this site are either purchased by myself, gifted to us, borrowed from the library (or a friend), or received from publishers or authors for review. When the book being reviewed is one that was sent to us by a publisher or author specifically for the purposes of review, we will clearly indicate this in the review. We, in no way, receive compensation for any BOOK REVIEW. All reviews (other than guest reviews) are written by myself and my daughter or son and are original. Guest reviews are edited by myself for grammar, spelling, appropriateness, and length and are original. Please do not copy and redistribute ANY review or excerpt without contacting me first.

I also disclose that this site contains affiliate links and/or may display promotional banners and /or advertisements. This means that if you go on to buy products through these affiliates, I might actually make a buck or two. We’re talking pocket change here folks! I will clearly indicate all affiliate links.

Finally, as a test to see if you have shown me the courtesy of reading my review policy before you request a review, I ask that you send an email addressed to me by first name. The contact form can be found in our footer.

Thanks, Renee

Request a Book Review

At this time, we are accepting a very limited number of review requests outside of our Book Promotion program.